Learn how to skydive

» How does one learn how to skydive?
» What does training consist of?
» What are the physical requirements?
» What if your parachute doesn't open?
» After I have finished my jump?

How does one learn how to skydive?

At Darwin Parachute Club (DPC) we offer three options to experience skydiving and perhaps start off your skydiving career or hobby:

1) AFF (accelerated freefall)
2) Tandem
3) TAF (Tandem Assisted Freefall)

What does training consist of?

The AFF Jump Course teaches you everything you need to know to safely make your first jump, whereas a Tandem is ideal as an introduction into the sport for those who may want to do it as a one off, or are not sure if it is the sport for them.

1) AFF (accelerated freefall)

The Accelerated Freefall (AFF) program began in 1982 as an "accelerated" learning process as compared to the traditional static line way of training to skydive. The AFF program will give you a true taste of modern sport skydiving.

The ground/theoretical training is a bit more extensive than the older methods of static line because the parachute student will be doing a 20 - 30 second freefall (that's right!) on his/her very first jump.

You will exit the aircraft at 10,000 feet along with two AFF Instructors (jumpmasters) who are there to assist you during freefall.

YOU GET TO DEPLOY YOUR OWN PARACHUTE.

The AFF Freefall program is a 9 -stage program.
Stages 1, 2, & 3 require two freefall Instructors to accompany you (unless stage 1 in being done as a tandem jump).

These skydives concentrate on teaching basic safety skills such as altitude awareness, body position, stability during freefall and most importantly - a stable and successful parachute deployment.

On stage 3 AFF, all being well (and only if all is well), the Instructors will release you in freefall for the first time, to fly completely on your own.

Stages 4, 5, 6, 7 & 8 require only one freefall Instructor and teach air skills such as turns, forward movement and linking with other people in freefall, back loops, dive exits from the plane, etc.
Stage 9 is a clear and deploy. You, the student, will jump out the plane from 4000 feet to allow you to experience a lower exit height.

Each Freefall stage is designed to take one jump, and requires about 45 minutes of training plus any refresher training required. After successfully performing the objectives of each stage, the student moves on to the next stage.

AT DARWIN PARACHUTE CLUB THE THEORETICAL COMPONENTS OF THE STAGE 1 COURSE ARE PRESENTED ON A SATURDAY AND THE JUMP ON THE SUNDAY, CONDITIONS PERMITTING. WE SCHEDULE COURSES APPROXIMATELY EVERY MONTH. THE COURSES ARE  RUN FOR  2 – 5 PEOPLE

Please note we require a minimum of 2 people to run the AFF course as well as a $50 deposit per person.

Minimun age for AFF is 16, parental/guardian permission is required for people under 18years of age.

2) Tandem Jumps

Tandem jumps are meant to offer an introduction to the sport. They allow the beginner to skydive with an experienced Tandem Master.

A tandem jump requires about 15 minutes of ground preparation (it is NOT a First Jump Course).
The student and tandem master each wear a harness, however only the Tandem Master wears the parachutes.

The student's harness attaches to the front of the master's harness and the two of them freefall together for 30 seconds or more, open together, and land together under one Really BIG Parachute.

Tandem jumping provides an obvious advantage for the adventurous spirit who wants to experience freefall before committing to a First-jump course or just wants to do a skydive.

By relying on the Tandem Master's skills, you will be able to experience the thrill of skydiving without the pressure of having to "save yourself".

Tandem passengers need to be at least 14 years old – there is no maximum age limit, as long as you are healthy and not over 90kg in weight.

AT DPC WE REQUIRE A $50 DEPOSIT WHEN BOOKING A TANDEM JUMP

Parental/guardian permission is required for people under 18yrs age.

3) Tandem Assisted Freefall (TAF)

A more recent innovation than AFF, but the end result should be the same - a trained skydiving novice. In this program the first stage of freefall training may be completed as a tandem jump where you may fulfil the same aims of the AFF stage 1 while falling with a Tandem Master.

The first stage requires about one hour hour of ground training prior to the jump. If the jump is satisfactorially completed and the student wishes to comtinue with the AFF course, AFF stage 2 can be undertaken with two instructors after completing the full one day ground training course.

Because of the differences in the training and instructors required, the price structure for TAF is different initially to AFF (see Jump Prices).

Parental/guardian permission is required for people under 18yrs age.

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What are the physical requirements?

In general, a parachute student should be in reasonably good physical shape; this is a sport after all. There is a weight limit of 90kg’s for Tandems and 100kg for AFF.

Someone who experiences fainting spells, blackouts or has a weak heart should not be jumping. Someone with respiratory illness may have a problem due to atmospheric changes at altitude. The better your physical condition, the more you will enjoy the experience. This being said, very few people have medical or physical conditions which actually preclude jumping.With regards to women jumping during their pregnancy, Darwin Parachute Clubs’ policy is that we do not provide tandems or any AFF training for pregnant women.

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What if your parachute doesn't open?

Clearly, this is the most Frequently-Asked-Question posed by all prospective jumpers.

In the photo the main parachute has malfunctioned- the parachutist has cutaway and the reserve is starting to deploy immediately.

By law (Civil Aviation Safety Authority regulations - this is the government body that regulates and oversees all aviation activity), all intentional parachute jumps must be made with a single harness, dual parachute system with both a main canopy AND a reserve canopy. In other words, you have a second (or spare) canopy in case the first one fails to open properly.

A large part of any First Jump Course is about how and when to use the reserve!

As an additional back-up ALL student freefall training jumps require an Automatic Activation Device (AAD) to be fitted to one of the parachutes. Nowadays, the canopies are DRASTICALLY different from the classic army round parachutes. The materials are stronger, lighter, the packing procedures are simpler, the parachute opening sequence is much more refined, softer and reliable.The reserve canopies are even more carefully designed and packed. The reserve parachute must be inspected and repacked every 6 months by an APF licensed parachute Packer or Rigger - even if it has not been used during that time.

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After I have finished my jump?

After completing your first jump, skydiving tradition allows each student to express their appreciation and admiration to their newfound skydiving friends for their assistance in successfully achieving this milestone in their life by purchasing a carton of beer and consuming it with them.:-)
This carton, customarily a fine cold beer, is ceremoniously iced down for consumption at the end of the day. (After jumping has finished).

After the completing your first jump course, the cost of each successive jump decreases in stages. Once off student status, you pay for gear hire and your seat on the plane and once you own your own gear, you will be paying $35 per jump to altitude (DPC members price or $37 for non-members)

There are different forms of skydiving that you may want to pursue once you have finished your course and become a fully fledged skydiver. These include:

a) formation skydiving (rel work)
b) freeflying
c) sitflying
d) skysurfing
e) canopy relative work
f) accuracy

or you could try them all.. The world is now your oyster!!!

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